Press Releases

New East 78th Street pedestrian bridge over FDR Drive will be installed by crane
Motorists are urged to use alternate routes

The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) advises motorists that a section of the FDR Drive will be closed to traffic from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 23 to facilitate the crane installation of a new pedestrian bridge which crosses the Drive at East 78th Street, replacing the previous bridge removed over the summer. During those hours, the northbound FDR Drive will be closed to traffic from East 61st to East 96th streets and the southbound FDR Drive will be closed from East 116th to East 74th streets. Motorists are urged to plan ahead and use alternate routes as early as Saturday night as one- and two-lane closures in the area will begin at 11 p.m.

DOT has contacted other agencies including MTA Bridges & Tunnels and New York State Department of Transportation to notify drivers of the closure using overhead variable message signs on major roadways in the area. In the event motorists do not use an alternate route, a local detour route for those exiting at East 116th Street from the southbound FDR Drive and at East 61st Street from the northbound FDR Drive will be posted to direct them back to the roadway. DOT will install temporary signs along the route and will take steps to mitigate the potential impact of additional traffic on these streets by adjusting signal timing and coordinating with NYPD to deploy Traffic Control Agents at key intersections. A map and advisory of the detour ishere.

The East 78th Street pedestrian bridge over the FDR Drive has been closed since October 2010. The span will be hoisted by crane from a barge and installed over the Drive. Existing pedestrian and bicycle detours will remain in effect until all work on the bridge and adjacent ramps is completed later this year.

The posted detour route is as follows from the southbound FDR Drive:

Exit at East 116th Street and use Second Avenue to East 74th Street, then York Avenue to East 73rd Street to rejoin the FDR Drive.

The posted detour route is as follows from the northbound FDR Drive:

Exit at East 61st Street and use First Avenue to rejoin the FDR Drive at East 96th Street.